Noah’s mother Karen says the bullying, combined with his underlying depression, ultimately led to the night of January 26.

“It’s so scary,” said Karen Brocklebank. “You just want to save him.”

That night, her son posted a clear warning on the Internet — a picture of his arm all cut up and a note that read: “Day of scheduled suicide, February 8th, 2013, my birthday.” It was to be his 13th birthday.

“I just felt like everything was worthless,” said Noah. “My life was terrible. I had no one.”

After that, Noah ended up in the hospital for eight days. And while he was in there, as his doctors assessed his mental health, his mother came up with a plan to improve his vision — a plan for Noah to see more clearly how much he matters, how much he’s loved, and that there really is life beyond seventh grade.

So she asked some friends on Facebook to put all that in a letter. She was hoping for at least a couple responses.

“But we got more than a couple,” said Noah.

What happened next is a remarkable testament to both the power of social media and the kindness of strangers.

“I know it is hard to believe right now, but life gets better. I promise,” Noah read from one letter.

Noah has received thousands of letters from every continent on the planet, including Antarctica. The sheer volume alone has brightened up his home a million watts.

“I has restored my faith in humanity. It really has,” said Karen Brocklebank.

As for how this changed him, Noah said: “I was focused on the bad side of the people, like the bullies. Then I realized there are caring people out there that can be my friends.”

Noah still has his good days and his bad. But now, whenever he does have one of those down days, he’s got a pile of friends to turn to.